First announced at the HHS Tick-Borne Disease Working Group’s (TBDWG) September 22 meeting, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in a Capitol Hill Announcement, presented plans to join with five federal departments and the Environmental Protection Agency in developing the National Public Health Framework for the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases in Humans (Framework). […]
In a recent Rutgers University led study, researchers identified Carios kelleyi, a “soft” tick species associated with bats, for the first time in New Jersey. This parasite, of almost exclusively bats, is thought widespread in the US (as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and Cuba), with known occurrences in 29 of the […]
West Virginia University researchers received a 1.9 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/NIH for a vaccine to prevent humans from contracting Lyme disease. Mariette Barbier, assistant professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, is leading the five-year project, along with Timothy Driscoll, assistant professor […]
The upcoming meeting of the HHS Working Group may be your last chance to influence language on persistent/chronic Lyme. At the last meeting, several members of the Working Group (WG) worked hard to have language related to patients with persistent Lyme symptoms removed from the WG report which will go to Congress at end of year.
The upcoming meeting of the HHS Working Group on Sept. 15 may be your last chance to influence language on persistent/chronic Lyme. At the last meeting, several members of the Working Group (WG) worked hard to have language related to patients with persistent Lyme symptoms removed from the WG report which will go to Congress at end of year.
With a new $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Utpal Pal, PhD, professor in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Maryland (UMD) will be partnering with Matthias Schnell, director of the Jefferson Vaccine Center at Thomas Jefferson University to develop a novel “next-generation” Lyme disease vaccine. Pal, a tick immunobiologist, and […]
American insurer Colonial Life is offering a new critical illness plan with optional rider that offers a lump sum benefit for hospitalization for treatment of COVID-19 and over 12 other infectious diseases, such as Lyme disease, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Legionnaires’ disease, meningitis, and sepsis. For the critical illness plan’s Lyme disease coverage: the date of Lyme […]
In a recent study conducted in central Pennsylvania, evidence of emerging pathogens, some also common to ticks, have been found in fleas. Various pathogens can be spread by ectoparasites among animal host populations in nature. Along with ticks, fleas are found to commonly infest small mammals. The role of pathogen transmission cycles for these vectors is unknown. Only the white footed mouse tested positive for the blood‐borne pathogens examined, with 47 (18.1%) positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum and ten (4.8%) positive for Babesia microti. Other pathogens included Bartonella vinsonii, B. microti, and a Rickettsia felis‐like bacterium.
The LDA has been designated as a national charity included in the 2020 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Charity List. CFC is part of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Each year, federal employees are provided with lists of approved charities for their workplace giving through the CFC. The LDA has met the requirements and been […]
On July 20, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered a new active ingredient called nootkatone, which repels and kill ticks, mosquitoes, and other pests including bed bugs, and fleas. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) discovered and developed the new ingredient, a non-toxic chemical found in Alaska yellow cedar trees and grapefruit skin in […]